BY FR. EDWARD KANYIKE MCCJ
Religion is a set of beliefs and practices, relative to the absolute, that unite in one moral community, all those who adhere to them.
Religion is a set of beliefs and practices, relative to the absolute, that unite in one moral community, all those who adhere to them. Religion is thus, the essential link between the members of a given group and at the same time, the essential link between the group and the supernatural world.
The Latin, religare (to tie), from which the word “religion” is got corresponds to the Bambara (Mali, West Africa), “lasiri”, which means both tie and religion. In our situation in Uganda, many languages have adopted the Swahili word, dini, from the Arabic ‘din’, which means ‘religion’.
This is mainly used in reference to foreign religions. It is therefore an indication that in Africa, religion and culture simply overlap. In the world of science, however, African Traditional Religions have been denied place in the definition indicated above. They have instead been called fetishism, animism, paganism, naturism and polytheism. Moreover, some went as far as saying that Africans have nothing that resembles religion! Some of the elements mentioned above can be found in African religions as they are found in all other religions.
However, none of them can givean adequate description of whatAfrican Traditional Religions are. Itwould be more accurate to call themmonotheistic ancestrisms. Mainly,Africans believe in one God, whosename is unique and who is worshippedthrough spirits and the ancestors ordivinized ancestors who should not becalled gods but divinities.We can resume the commonelements found in almost allAfrican Traditional religions asfollows: Traditional African religionspermeate all the departments oflife in such a way that there is noformal distinction between thesacred and the secular, religious andnon-religious, the spiritual and thematerial areas of life. Africans taketheir traditional religion whereverthey go: in schools, work places, onjourneys and even in parliament! Itis when the Christian faith goes asdeep in our hearts as the traditionalreligions that we can call ourselvesreally Christians. Traditional religionsare not primarily for the individualbut for the community one is part of.This explains why African traditionalsocieties have no irreligious people.All community activities are religiousand no individual can separatehimself from the community. To bewithout religion is to excommunicateoneself from the community.There are neither sacred scripturesnor written creeds in African religions.What Africans believe in is written intheir hearts. It is found in oral history,in rituals and in religious personageslike priests, rainmakers, elders, chiefsand kings. All the complicated ritualsare done without liturgical booksor manuals. Where then do we find documents about African Traditional Religions? Apart from myths, legends
and folktales, these documents are the objects found in places of worship and in houses, clothes and on bodies of people who still use
protective charms and talisman.
Unluckily enough, most of these have been burnt by Christians who believe that burning them can destroy their power. They should rather be kept in museums. African religions are not universal; they are tribal or national. Every tribe has its own religion. There is no conversion from one religion to another, as this would mean changing tribal identity. This is why we refer to them in plural. Instead of founders and reformers, African religions have national heroes, rulers, famous men and women found in their beliefs and myths. Some of these have been raised to the rank of divinities.
It is on the basis of our traditional religions that we embrace other religions. Note that the names like Katonda, Rubanga, Ruhanga, Akuj,
Adro, Mungu, Nyasaye, Were etc. were not invented by missionaries, but were found in Africa. However, none of the European or
Asian gods like Jupiter, Zeus, Thor, Moneta, Vishnu etc. is mentioned in the Christian faith.
